Apparatus and method for a scavenger hunt game using a set of interchangeable indicia tiles held in a bingo-style game board

ABSTRACT

Apparatus and method for a scavenger hunt game whose list of items to be found is composed of interchangeable indicia tiles held in a bingo-style game board frame. The game apparatus comprises a storage bag, a game board frame and removable tiles. Each tile has a unique indicia on one face and a non-unique mark on the reverse. 
     Players agree on a limited geographic area for play and tiles with indicia relevant to the area are placed in the bag. Tiles are drawn and placed on the boards, forming unique, highly variable patterns of indicia. Each time a player finds an item which the other players agrees matches one of the indicia on his board, that tile is turned over to indicate its change of status. A winner is declared when all of the tiles turned over on a board form a specified arrangement.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to amusement devices and, in particular, to scavenger hunts and bingo games.

2. Prior Art

Scavenger hunt games are well known. Typically, the list of items to be found is customized to the specific physical location chosen for game play. Printed lists of indicia are not durable or reusable. Sets of scavenger hunt indicia printed on bingo-style cards are static; the indicia are permanently fixed in one unchanging pattern on each card. Scavenger hunt indicia printed on multiple smaller cards are not easily portable, requiring players to sort though the deck of indicia cards repeatedly during play.

Bingo cards, bingo sheets, and bingo-style game boards, using attached, unattached, or removably attached markers, are all well known. Bingo cards are static; the set of indicia is permanently fixed in one unchanging pattern on each card. Boards using unattached markers are not easily portable. Boards designed to be written on during play are not reusable. Bingo card holders do allow the reuse of non-durable paper sheets, but still do not allow for variation beyond the individual sheets available for use. Existing bingo games require players to wait passively for indicia to be drawn, be announced or appear, resulting in slow play that is not educational and is not mentally challenging.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In light of the problems associated with known apparatus and methods of play, objects of this invention are to provide (1) a new kind of scavenger hunt game apparatus which allows for highly variable patterns of indicia to be formed on a single bingo-style board, (2) a game apparatus in which the set of indicia used may be easily expanded and or customized to the location chosen for play, (3) a game apparatus that is durable and reusable while still being lightweight and portable, (4) a game apparatus that is inexpensive and easy to manufacture, (5) a game in which players actively search for indicia, instead of passively waiting, making game play faster paced, and (6) a game which is mentally challenging for all ages of players, improving the players' skills of observation and encouraging the players' language skills e.g. alternate and creative word meanings.

The invention which fulfills these objects is a portable scavenger hunt game whose list of items to be found is composed of interchangeable indicia tiles held in a bingo-style board frame. The game apparatus comprises a storage bag, a game board frame and a plurality of removable square tiles sufficient, at a minimum, to fill a plurality of rows and column on the board. Each tile has a unique written or pictorial indicia on one face and a non-unique mark on the reverse face. Tiles with specific relevant indicia are chosen for play depending on the physical location chosen for game play. Multiple tile sets may be used to vary game play and customize the game to different venues.

At the beginning of a new game, the players agree on a limited geographic area for play. Tiles with indicia appropriate to that area are placed in the bag. Each player randomly draws tiles and places them on his board, until the plurality of rows and columns on the game board are filled, forming a unique, highly variable pattern of indicia. Each time a player finds an item which the other players agrees matches one of the indicia on his board, that tile is turned over to indicate its change of status. A winner is declared when one player turns over all of the tiles on his board which form a specified arrangement.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention may be more readily described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of an empty game board frame

FIG. 2 is a front view of the game board frame of FIG. 1 filled with indicia tiles

FIG. 3 is a view of the reverse side of the game board frame of FIG. 1

FIG. 4 is a front view of three indicia tiles

FIG. 5 is a view of the reverse side of the indicia tiles of FIG. 4

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the game apparatus comprises a storage bag, a game board frame, a plurality of tiles and a piece of chalk.

In the preferred embodiment, the storage bag is a commercially available, natural unbleached cotton muslin cloth bag measuring eight inches wide by twelve inches tall, with a single side-pull drawstring. One side of the bag is decoratively stamped in the center with a company logo using a custom made red rubber art stamp and a brown permanent dye base ink.

In the preferred embodiment, commercially available, unfinished wood squares, which measure one inch wide by one inch high by one-eighth of an inch thick, are used for the tiles. The tiles are sized to fit snugly within the frame in five columns and five rows, leaving a two and one-sixteenth inch gap across the upper edge of the tiles to allow easier tile removal. The exposed two and one-sixteenth inch by five and one-sixteenth inch area of imitation slate writing surface is also useful for keeping a chalk mark tally of wins during multi-round play. For each game apparatus, twenty nine tiles are decoratively stamped in the center of one side with a company logo using a custom made red rubber art stamp and a brown permanent dye base ink. One tile is set aside to be used as a free space tile when making the game board frame. The remaining twenty eight tiles are each stamped using custom made red rubber art stamps and a brown permanent dye base ink with one unique phrase or word, randomly selected from a set of ninety six items which are relevant to a Renaissance themed event.

In the preferred embodiment, the game board frame is a commercially available imitation school slate with an unfinished a wooden frame. The board measures eight and fifteen-sixteenths inches high by six and three-fourths inches wide and three-eighths of one inch thick overall. The front writing surface of the slate is seven inches high by five and one-sixteenth inches wide, and is recessed by one-eighth of one inch. The back face of the board is identical to the front except that the back surface is unfinished. With the board in a portrait orientation, the word “HUZZAH!” is stamped onto the shorter, upper crosspiece of the wood frame using a custom made red rubber art stamp and a brown permanent dye base ink. The letters are positioned so that each letter or letter pair “H” “U” “ZZ” “A” and “H!” forms the header for one of the five columns of the game board. One logo stamped tile is used as a free space tile in the position corresponding to in the center square of the five by five square grid on the game board frame. This tile is glued in position on the game board using white glue or other adhesive.

In the preferred embodiment, the rules for the game are photocopied onto ivory paper measuring six and fifteen-sixteenths inches high by five inches wide in portrait orientation. The photocopied rules page is attached to the reverse side of the game board with white glue or other adhesive.

In the preferred embodiment, at the beginning of a new game, two players agree to limit the geographic area for play to the grounds of the Renaissance themed event and agree that a mill of five matches in any direction will be a winning pattern. Two game boards are removed from their storage bag, leaving ninety eight unique tiles in the bag. Each player randomly draws twenty four tiles from the bag and places them on his board in five rows and five columns forming a unique pattern of indicia. Play begins when both players have their boards assembled, and proceeds according to the rules printed on the reverse side of the game board. Players remain together as each searches for items matching the indicia on the tiles of his respective game board. Each time a player finds an item which the other player agrees matches one of the indicia on his board, that tile is turned over. A winner is declared when one player turns over a tile on his board which completes a mill of five. The winner uses his piece of chalk to add a mark to his tally of wins at the top of his game board.

Further embodiments of the invention might include tiles which are removably attached to the game board frame. Further embodiments of the invention might include cubes used in place of tiles with each cube having a non-unique mark on one face thereof, and unique indicia on each other faces thereof. Further embodiments of the invention might include a much larger, less portable version suitable for demonstration play by a large group of players. Further embodiments of the invention might include specialized tile sets with objects to found in other geographic area (such as, but not limited to, a science fiction themed event, a hospital room, a classroom, a nursing home, along the roadside while traveling, a State Fair, or a zoo). Further embodiments of the invention may include a computer software version, for play on a personal computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), cellular telephone handset, or other electronic device.

With respect to the above description, it is to be realized that further embodiments, improvements and modifications to the described dimensions, materials, shape, form, assembly and use are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. While some particular and further embodiments are disclosed, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited by such embodiments, but could include all variations within the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims 

1. a game apparatus comprising a. a game board frame designed to hold indicia tiles in a plurality of rows and columns b. a plurality of indicia tiles sufficient, at a minimum, to fill the plurality of rows and columns in the game board frame of claim 1a c. a multi-use bag for randomly drawing tiles of claim 1b during setup, for storage of excess tiles of claim 1b during play, and for storage of the game board frame of claim 1a and the plurality of tiles of claim 1b when not in use d. a writing instrument suitable for making temporary tally marks on the surface of the game board frame of claim 1a
 2. the game board frame of claim 1a which includes a raised edge to hold the tiles of claim 1b in place during play without requiring the use adhesives, magnets or other fasteners
 3. the game board frame of claim 1a and the tiles of claim 1b which are removably attached together during play using adhesives, magnets, hook and loop, or other fasteners
 4. the game board frame of claim 1a which includes an integral tally area for recording the score in multi-round play, which area also serves as a finger space to allow easy removal of tiles
 5. the game board frame of claim 1a which includes an attached free space tile
 6. the tiles of claim 1b that serve as both indicia and status markers during play by means of each having a unique indicia on one face and a common, non-unique marking on the reverse
 7. a method of playing a game by a plurality of players comprising the steps of: a. the players agree on a limited geographic area for play and a winning pattern to be formed on the game board of claim 1a b. tiles of claim 1b with indicia appropriate to the agreed on geographic area are placed in the bag of claim 1c c. each player randomly draws tiles of claim 1b and placing the drawn tiles in that player's game board frame of claim 1a until the plurality of rows and column on the game board are filled d. each player searches for items matching the indicia on his game board of claim 1 e. when players agree that a “match” has been found, the tile of claim 1b with the corresponding indicia is turned over so that its non-unique face is up f. a winner is declared when one player turns over all of the tiles on his board which form the agreed winning arrangement.
 8. the method of play of claim 6 in which a single player competes against a timer or plays alone for amusement
 9. the method of play of claim 6 in which a plurality of players compete as a plurality of teams
 10. a method of making an inexpensive version of the game apparatus of claim 1 suitable for use at a Renaissance Faire 